1.
2.
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 2
Cultural Dimensions of Hofstede and Trompenaars ................................................... 3
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Analogies or identities of the cultural dimensions ...................................................... 5
Differences of the dimensions .............................................................................................. 7
Advantages and Risks seeing the world and cultures with dimensions .............. 7
Effects on practice operation ................................................................................................ 8
Personal meaning and consequences of the dimensions .......................................... 9
2.1.
2.2.
Hofstedes’ Dimensions........................................................................................................... 3
Trompenaars’ Dimensions ................................................................................................... 4
1. Introduction
Nowadays a lot of companies operate in a multitude of distinct countries. However, if we do a double take, it is evident that multinational enterprises and their strategies differ from country to country. If not, it might be the case that those companies will fail. For example Wal-Mart opted for entering the Japanese market. Unfortunately, they tried implement the American strategy in Japan. Americans were keen on bargain buys in huge amounts 24 hours a day. Whereas the discount strategy in the USA has been very successful, it had adverse effects in Japan. Japanese people equated low prices to low quality and thus didn’t want to buy at Wal-Mart. Moreover, Japanese weren’t used to the fact that a store was open 24 hours per day. Such misunderstandings cause huge trouble.
For some situations we cannot prepare. However, it would have been important for WalMart